Sleeping really well but still exhausted, do I need to tweak my HRT?

[MagpiePi]

I generally fall asleep easily and get about 7 - 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night, I exercise and eat well, am not overweight and don't think I have any other issues as I have recently had a full blood test done for another reason and have had a thyroid check recently too, but, I constantly feel really sleepy. I don't lack energy or have brain fog or anxiety or mood swings or anything else, just this awful sleepiness. This has been going on for months now.

Could it be some hormone level that is not right? I've been on 100mcg patches for years and have a mirena that admittedly does need changing, so could it be lack of progesterone?

Consider vitamin D in any discussions with your GP. Normal range is 20-50 and I was at 22. The only change I made was vit D and the difference was amazing. I hope you find the cause for you, good luck.

I take a daily Vitamin D supplement and try and get outside every day, but I could still be low so I will mention it.

I was hoping there could be something that I could remedy myself without having to go to the GP again. I seem to be there far too often!

What time of day is the sleepiness? If post meals it could relate to blood sugar spikes and dips. How is your diet? Have you had things like B12 checked, especially relevant if vegatarian.

Do you wear a sleep tracker? If so how is your deep and REM sleep? It may be sleep quality rather than quantity that is the issue.

You might need more sleep.

It’s all day, from the moment I wake up. I’ve uploaded a screenshot of a typical night’s sleep where the white line is movement. It doesn’t look too bad to me.
Maybe it is B12?

I take an iron supplement which has some additional vitamins which I have checked and it contains B6, B12 and Niacin in quantities of more than 100% of your daily allowance, so I should be ok for B vitamins.

I have had normal but very low iron levels for decades; I was occasionally turned away at blood donations due to low iron. I would fail the drop of blood falling in liquid test but pass on the more accurate analysis. I never had this persistent exhaustion back then, even with small children and a far busier life.

I have had this level of exhaustion a few times in my life - I know exactly what you mean about waking up just as tired as when you went to bed. It’s debilitating and feels like your body is shutting down. First time I felt this I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid and subsequent times it was low iron/ferritin levels. Check your blood test results carefully, even if they come back ‘normal’ if they are at the lower end of the normal range it can be the cause of how you’re feeling. I now take thyroid medication and will be taking strong iron tablets long term (both prescribed and regular blood tests to monitor)

@walledgarden6 thanks for this.

I'll have a look through the recent test results.

I remember that when I had a blood test for iron when I was in my 20s, I was told over the phone by the receptionist that it was normal, (this was back before any kind of internet or electronic records) and when I finally got the actual results on paper, the normal range was 11 - 310 µg/L or something, and my level was 12.

ETA: I don't really feel debilitated - I am fine getting on with exercise and activities, and I'm not craving sugary/carb food which I get when I am tired because it is late at night and past my bedtime, its just if I stop and think about it, my eyes feel like lead marbles and I am really sleepy.

I felt like that and I have benefitted from taking Greenleaf smart protein capsules. My thyroid results were ‘normal’ but actually my T4 is right at the bottom of the range and TSH right at the top. I’m also taking a multivit with Vit D and various B vitamins. I have stopped feeling like I am dragging myself through the day. I think listening to Yoga Nidra before bed helps with sleep quality too. I’m on continuous HRT. It’s so frustrating that there is so much cobbling it together on your own at this stage of life, just to be more or less functional.

@Miloarmadillo2 cheers.

It is annoying as I know if I go to the gp they will just say everything is normal.

@MagpiePi you can see your results and the normal ranges on the NHS app - ‘normal’ is not always ‘optimal’